The genus Theobroma comprises several trees species native to the Amazon. Theobroma cacao L. plays a key economic role mainly in the chocolate industry. Both cultivated and wild forms are described within the genus. Variations in genome size and chromosome number have been used for prediction purposes including the frequency of interspecific hybridization or inference about evolutionary relationships. In this study, the nuclear DNA content, karyotype and genetic diversity using functional microsatellites (EST-SSR) of seven Theobroma species were characterized. The nuclear content of DNA for all analyzed Theobroma species was 1C = ~ 0.46 pg. These species presented 2n = 20 with small chromosomes and only one pair of terminal heterochromatic bands positively stained (CMA+/DAPI− bands). The small size of Theobroma ssp. genomes was equivalent to other Byttnerioideae species, suggesting that the basal lineage of Malvaceae have smaller genomes and that there was an expansion of 2C values in the more specialized family clades. A set of 20 EST-SSR primers were characterized for related species of Theobroma, in which 12 loci were polymorphic. The polymorphism information content (PIC) ranged from 0.23 to 0.65, indicating a high level of information per locus. Combined results of flow cytometry, cytogenetic data and EST-SSRs markers will contribute to better describe the species and infer about the evolutionary relationships among Theobroma species. In addition, the importance of a core collection for conservation purposes is highlighted.
Moniliophthora perniciosa, causal agent of witches' broom disease in cacao plantations in South America and the Caribbean Islands, has co-evolved with its host cacao, but the pathogen has also emerged in many solanaceous hosts in Brazil, including economically important food crops and wild species. This study was carried out to: (i) determine the existence of host subpopulations of M. perniciosa in Brazil; (ii) estimate gene and genotypic diversity of M. perniciosa host subpopulations infecting solanaceous hosts in southeastern Bahia and Minas Gerais states, Brazil; and (iii) estimate the amount and directionality of historical migration of M. perniciosa subpopulations. Up to 203 M. perniciosa isolates collected from solanaceous hosts with symptoms from Bahia and Minas Gerais states in Brazil and from Theobroma spp. (cacao) and Herrania spp. were characterized with 11 microsatellite markers. Factorial correspondence analyses, minimum-spanning network and Bayesian clustering revealed genetic clusters associated with their host of origin. Significant subpopulation differentiation was evident (Φ ST = 0.30, P ≤ 0.05) among M. perniciosa host subpopulations. Most of the multilocus microsatellite genotypes (MLMGs) were host-specific, with few MLMGs shared among subpopulations. Pairwise comparisons among M. perniciosa host subpopulations were significant, except between jurubeba (Solanum paniculatum) and cultivated solanaceous subpopulations. The combined analyses rejected the null hypothesis that M. perniciosa in Brazil is a single genetic population not structured by host. These findings support a scenario of introduction and subsequent adaptation to solanaceous hosts that should be taken into consideration to improve mitigation and management of M. perniciosa.
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